24/7 Emergency Plumber in Lexington, KY
Dauenhauer is a family-owned plumbing company in Lexington, KY that answers emergency plumbing calls 24/7 in Fayette County. Dauenhauer has served the Bluegrass region since 1958 and is proud to offer 24/7 emergency plumbing services.
Our licensed plumbers handle the most common plumbing emergencies in Lexington, including hard water pipe bursts and pinhole leaks in older galvanized lines, water heater failures, and sanitary lateral backups, as well as rural well pump and septic emergencies. We’ll help you locate your main shut-off over the phone before the service truck arrives.
Call our emergency line at (502) 496-8110 for a 24/7 plumber!
The Plumbing Emergencies Lexington Sees Most
Lexington, KY homes often see hard water pipe failures, water heater failures, sanitary-lateral backups, and hard freeze issues.
Hard Water Pipe Failures
The homes in Lexington and Fayette County, especially older homes, are impacted by the Bluegrass region’s hard water. Older plumbing systems have decades of scale and corrosion in older galvanized lines, which can lead to pinhole leaks and burst pipes.
Water Heater Failures
Mineral scale from Bluegrass hard water accelerates tank corrosion and T&P discharges, making water heater leaks and no-hot-water emergencies common in Lexington.
Sanitary-Lateral Backups
Lexington has separate storm and sanitary sewers, unlike Louisville’s combined sewer system. In Lexington, backups don’t come from stormwater, but rather root intrusion, grease clogs, and pipe defects.
Winter Freezes
Pipes in poorly insulated or highly exposed areas are at risk of bursting during Lexington’s hard freezes. It’s essential to protect your pipes during winter in the area to prevent burst pipes and water damage.
Who to Call First in a Lexington Plumbing Emergency
Sometimes, it is difficult to know whether you are responsible for taking care of a plumbing emergency or if Lexington’s utilities are responsible. In general, you own the water line from the meter into your home and your side of the gas meter, along with the sanitary lateral. The local utility company owns their mains.
Use this handy table to decide who to call first in a plumbing emergency in Lexington. It will highlight when to call Kentucky American Water, Columbia Gas of Kentucky, LFUCG, and Dauenhauer.
| Emergency | Call FIRST | Then |
| Smell of gas (rotten eggs) | Leave home, call 911 & Columbia Gas of KY | Dauenhauer once safe |
| No water, city home (every fixture) | Check Kentucky American Water outage | No outage? Call us |
| No water, rural well home | Dauenhauer (likely well pump) | We diagnose pump/pressure |
| Sewage backing up indoors | Dauenhauer (your lateral) | LFUCG if public main |
| Burst pipe / water heater leak | Shut off main, call Dauenhauer | Document for insurance |
Rural & Bluegrass Plumbing Emergencies
If you live in a rural area of Fayette County, plumbing emergencies may look a little bit different. You may experience a failed well pump and no water at all, sewage indoors from a septic backup or full tank, or issues with propane systems.
Dauenhauer services both residential and rural areas in the Bluegrass region. Our licensed plumbers are experts in handling rural and Bluegrass plumbing emergencies quickly and safely. We diagnose well pump and pressure tank failures, not just city plumbing.
Whether you’re dealing with a septic backup, well pump failure and no water, or a pressure tank emergency, we can help. Dauenhauer also serves Georgetown, Nicholasville, Versailles, Winchester, Richmond, and Frankfort.
Older Homes & Hard Water
Older Lexington homes, in Chevy Chase, Ashland Park, and Kenwick, have aging galvanized supply lines that hard water can quickly impact. Hard water scale narrows and corrodes pipes from the inside, causing sudden failures. Original shut-off valves also sometimes seize when you need them most, which can result in a dangerous situation.
When you call Dauenhauer, we can talk you through locating and operating an old shut-off valve before the service truck arrives. If you have a broken pipe or your water heater is failing, our professionals can jump into action. Call us at (502) 496-8110 if you have an older home plumbing emergency in Lexington.
You may also consider professional sewer line cleaning or water softener installation to negate the impacts of hard water.
Lexington Emergency Plumbing FAQs
I have no water and I’m on a well — who do I call?
If your home in the Lexington area is on a private well and you suddenly have no water, the well pump, pressure tank, or controls and wiring are typically the problem. This means that since the problem likely isn’t a city utility issue, you should call a local plumber.
Rural Bluegrass properties aren’t on Kentucky American Water, and the water system is entirely yours. Dauenhauer can diagnose and repair well pump and pressure tank failures 24/7 across Fayette County and the surrounding areas.
Is a sewer backup my responsibility or LFUCG’s in Lexington?
In Lexington, homeowners are typically responsible for the private sanitary lateral that runs from a house to the public main, while LFUCG maintains the public sanitary sewer main. When sewage backs up inside your home, it usually starts with your lateral. Often tree root intrusion or a pipe defect is the cause, and a plumber can clear it.
Since Lexington’s storm and sanitary sewers are separate, backups generally aren’t caused by heavy rain the way a combined system’s would be.
Why do older Lexington homes get sudden pipe bursts?
Older Lexington homes may experience sudden pipe bursts due to aging materials, such as galvanized steel and cast iron, corroding from the region’s hard water. Additionally, pipes in exposed areas or under-insulated pipes may burst during Lexington’s winter freezes.
Do you handle plumbing emergencies outside Lexington in the Bluegrass?
Yes. Dauenhauer not only handles Lexington plumbing emergencies, but also calls in Georgetown, Nicholasville, Versailles, Winchester, Richmond, and Frankfort.
Do you charge extra for after-hours emergency calls?
Yes. After-hours emergency plumbing calls may incur an extra fee because our plumbers must drop what they’re doing to respond to calls outside of normal business hours. We provide transparent price estimates before repairs begin.
Lexington’s 24/7 Emergency Plumbers
Daunhauer has been family owned and serving the Bluegrass community since 1958. Our licensed and insured plumbers have earned us hundreds of 5-star reviews from happy Lexington customers. We offer upfront pricing, flexible financing, fully stocked service trucks, and fast response times for emergency calls in Fayette County.
Reach us on our 24/7 line by calling (502) 496-8110 or for non-emergencies, call our Lexington office at (859) 559-0625!
